Canadian regulators have once resisted addressing the need for harmonized rules for mutual funds and segregated funds because of their focus on fee transparency.
The last annual meeting of securities, insurance and pensions regulators as part of the Joint Forum of Financial Market Regulators focused on the transparency of investment fees.
At its annual meeting on June 10, regulators consulted with industry associations and investor advocates on “reporting on the performance and ongoing costs of holding investments, including fees embedded in mutual funds and segregated funds,” the release said.
“We are taking a broader look at how total cost reports should be effectively presented to the public,” Louis Morisset, chairman of the Canadian Securities Administrators and president and CEO of the Autorité des marchés financiers, said in a statement.
In the past, the Joint Forum has attempted to harmonize point-of-sale disclosures for mutual funds and segregated funds. It is now seeking to propose an approach to total cost reporting that “is as harmonized as possible in light of the differences between securities and insurance products and their distribution channels,” regulators said.
“We are working with our regulatory partner on the investment side to provide consumers with comparable information on the costs, fees and performance of their segregated funds and mutual funds,” said Frank Chong, chair of the Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators (CCIR) and vice-president and deputy Regulatory Officer at the BC Financial Services Authority.
“Fair treatment of consumers is considered to be as important as prudential supervision and the outcome of this project will enable consumers to make informed financial decisions,” he added.
